Jaap BuitendijkThank you Newt Scamander! Oh, and thank you J.K. Rowling, too. And while we're doling out gratuities, we should mention Eddie Redmayne too.
That's because the actor just graced the MTV Movie Awards with his presence—and not just to remind us how adorable he is, but to give us a little Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them treat. Redmayne plays the aforementioned leading role of Scamander in the movie, which is a prequel of sorts to the Harry Potter series, so it was only natural that he be on hand to introduce the first legitimate sneak peek since last year's teaser trailer.
To kick things off, the show turned the set into 1920's New York City, the setting for Fantastic Beasts. Men in tuxedos and top hats pranced around with briefcases before the fantastic Eddie appeared in a cloud of smoke. But did we expect anything less?
"Myself and the rest of the cast had such an astounding time getting to leap back into the world of J.K. Rowling's imagination," Redmayne began. "And I'm properly excited to share with you tonight just a wee glimpse of what's in store this November."
The clip began with images of a riff on that now-infamous Harry Potter music and flashes of Eddie's Newt Scamander tinkering in his lab in the Big Apple. "You're an interesting man, Mr. Scamander," whispered the narrator. "Just like your suitcase, there's much more to you than meets the eye. Kicked out of Hogwarts for endangering human life with a beast, yet one of your teachers are strongly against your expulsion."
We see Newt leaving England and boarding a steam ship, as the narrator asks "Now what makes Albus Dumbledore so fond of you, Mr. Scamander?"
The rest of the clip, while visually quite different than the HP world we're used to (this is New York City, after all), we're treating to so many of the memories we so adore—the moving newspaper images, for one. It's going to be a long wait until the movie's release this fall, but this clip will satiate us for a bit.